In Your Eyes
by River Laren
Summary: Sakura has found a young boy that looks exactly like Sasuke, and it is soon decided she should be the one to care for him. But this boy is not what he appears, and secrets are his best friend. Can Sakura convince him to trust her? And what of Sasuke?
1. Chapter 1: Life Changing Moments

Life changing events can happen at any moment. Sometimes, like in the chunin exams, when you expect them too. Besides the obvious determination of advancement, it was also the first time Sasuke saw Orichimaru. Sakura always wondered years later that perhaps if she had not entered the exams, Sasuke would not have left. If only she had known… But she did not, and so an impact was made on the future. The point is the moment came at a time when change was expected.

Other times people are not as lucky. There are times when a storm comes without warning. Sasuke changing so suddenly after Itachi's death was one of those for Sakura. She had expected him to defend himself. Part of her had known he would stop her; kill her even. But she had never thought he would have dropped so far. She had not expected such a mental relapse as what she had seen. And his laugh…

It shouldn't matter now. She had only went after him to prove a point to Naruto; one that lay completely torn apart in the dust under her ashamed feet. He was right. She still cared _something _for Sasuke, even if she no longer had a name for it. He was her teammate. She had loved him. She still remembered him as he used to be, and…she just could not kill him.

That was fine. Naruto would take care of it somehow like he always did; she would care for the Uchiha like the teammate he had been and that was all. He had been in the back of her mind so long she could not force him out, but now Naruto joins him there. She cries more when he is hurt than when Sasuke was. She realizes now that there are different kinds of love, that even if she does not feel the burning obsession she felt before with Naruto, she can still love him. Maybe better than she did Sasuke. Not more, but she has learned how to love someone since then and loving Naruto is easy. After all these years she finally learned that if you want to be happy sometimes you have to move on to what is in front of you.

That hasn't stopped the hurt, though. Sasuke's rejection and change hurt her more than anyone will ever know, but being rejected by the one person she thought would always stand by her hurts worse. Sakura is human, she could not help but wonder sometimes if Naruto was right. That she just _wished_ she loved him. Perhaps that is the case. She is sick of emotions and feelings, if he is right then lying to herself is much better than the truth.

Those were her thoughts as she walked back to her lonely tent one evening. She had been called away to heal a shinobi with a complicated wound no one else could fix. It struck her as ironic that she could heal all these people, and yet she could not prevent the war, bring back her lost teammate, or convince the other one she loves him.

But that is the irony of the world. Like the beautiful golden sunset painted above what was a brutal battlefield yesterday.

She could not help but watch. After all, Ino was always telling her she needed some happiness in her life. Sakura would have settled for peace. As the sun zigzagged its way down below the earth, she almost felt both. A single star appeared in the sky diagonal to where the sun had been, and she found herself making a wish out of a habit born in her childhood. "Starlight, star bright, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish to night…" She knew it was childish, but with the helplessness she was feeling, she needed some sort of comfort, and that star was all she had. "…I wish…I wish things could be like they were before, when we were genin, without Sasuke's thirst for revenge." It was a perfectly good waste of a wish; she was not stupid. She knew things could never be like that, but just voicing it made her feel better.

She began running then. If she was not back in camp soon, they would come looking for her, and she did not want a search party of the most talented ninja to find her standing there making crazy wishes on stars like I little kid.

She was almost there; if the darkness would hold off for two more minutes she would be fine. _You idiot, there is a war on. Being out after dark is extremely dangerous you- _She fell on her face before the sarcastic side of her mind could finish the insult.

_You can't even run in a strait line. Some kunochi you are. _There were times, Sakura decided, when she could be cruel.

She turned her head to see what she had tripped over. _Oh please tell me I did trip over _something_."_ In the dusk light she could just see the outline of a face. She immediately jumped and curled into herself, goose bumps all over her skin. They had apparently missed a body in the mass burial.

Sakura fought a shudder and pulled herself to her feet. So what if it was dark and she had just tripped over a dead body and this was the way horror movies started? She was an honorable kunochi of Konoha and she owed this person a decent burial.

She leaned over them cautiously. It was mostly dark now. Her eyes widened. The body was a boy, a boy who looked exactly like Sasuke had when he was eight. Or what she assumed he had looked like. She sucked in a breath. How could this be?

She quickly felt for a pulse and was ecstatic to find he was alive. That was good. Very good. She could handle this. After all, it was what she was trained for.

The rest of the night was spent healing the boy the best she could. He had severe injuries. By the morning's first light however, she was sure he would be completely recovered in a week's time. The question occurred: who did this to him? How could they? He could be no older than nine, if that even. Was- was Sasuke his father? Had _he_ done this to an innocent little boy, possibly his own son? Anger rose within her. How dare he!

She kneeled next to the boy and brushed his bangs from his face. "I won't let anyone hurt you again, I promise." Sakura moved her hand to his hair and kissed his forehead. Karin was right. The Sasuke she had known was dead; she should have killed his body also. If she had, this boy wouldn't be suffering. Guilt filled her soul and a repentant tear slipped from her eye. She would do whatever she could for him, to repay for her mistake. Perhaps he had been the answer to her wish; maybe this was a piece of Sasuke she could keep. The thought seemed completely childish, but she could not help it. She needed somebody, and so did this boy; now they had found each other. It had to be fate.

So Sakura resolved then and there she would be whatever he needed. What else could she do?

**A/N: Since it's Christmas, can you _please _review? I'll give you cookies!**


	2. Chapter 2: The First Premise

**A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews! Seriously, you guys are awesome! I know you all want to know the identity of the boy, but I'm afraid you'll have to have patience. After all, it's the anticipation that makes things truly enjoyable, right? Before I get stoned I'll just let you read the next chapter. **

Promises and wishes on stars were nice, but they could not change everything. The boy was still injured and they were still in a war zone. He stirred a little under her hand and Sakura quickly gave him a sedative. She didn't need him to wake up and start panicking now. Plus, he was probably still in some pain.

It was then she heard a crunch in the leaves and looked up, startled. Naruto was there, his deep blue eyes swirling with concern and confusion. Sakura slipped the kunai in her hand back into her pocket, hoping the blonde would not notice her lack of awareness. "Who is he?" he asked, studying the face of the boy between them.

"I don't know." It was the truth. She had only her suspicions so far; it would not be a good thing to start the gossips going and then be wrong.

"H-he looks like Teme." They met each other's eyes then, and Sakura saw the accusation in them.

"We don't know for sure, Naruto. Think about it, the kid is probably eight or so and Sasuke is only sixteen." She wondered why she had never put that together before now. Her teammate seamed to be feeling the same guilt.

"Do you think Itachi…." Thankfully he let the statement trail off.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't seem like something he would do, but…" He nodded. "Either way, we have to keep this quiet. The only other person who should know right now is Kakashi-sensei, for the boy's safety." She continued gravely, "I need your word Naruto. You won't tell anyone unless Kakashi-sensei and I agree upon it. Promise me."

To her relief he took time to think about it, which assured her he also felt this was serious. Then he nodded; his eyes bright. "I promise not to tell anyone about the boy unless it is for his own good and I have discussed it with you and Kakashi-sensei first, if that's possible. But how are you going to hide him, Sakura-chan?"

She was reminded about the seriousness of both their promises to this boy, and what sacrifices she would have to make because of it in the future. Naruto was right, how would she keep him a secret? It would be impossible to take him with her as she participated in this war; but it was unthinkable to leave her friends and teammates to fight without her, despite her promise and the importance of the child.

But then if their assumptions were correct and he had the sharringan…it could mean a great deal to the future that he was protected. Then the Hokage might give her a formal mission, and she could both continue to serve her village and keep her promise. Still, it would mean leaving Naruto, and she was not sure if she could do that. They were teammates, and anyone who turned their back on their teammates was worse than trash.

Yet if this were _her_ child or even her brother, she could not bare to leave him alone with strangers who may not care for him. He could have the sharringan. From his looks there was a good chance of it, and if that was the case then he would be Sasuke's relative. She knew how much having a blood family member would mean to him now. She could not bear to leave the boy if that was the case.

_And if he doesn't? _Asked the sarcastic side of herself. _'If he doesn't I still made a promise,'_ she snapped back. However she knew she would regret it if Sasuke was not changed by meeting this boy.

She forced herself to take care of the matter at hand before envisioning the tragedy the future might bring. "One of your clones can sneak him into Kakashi's tent so the three of us can discuss this. I know he'll help us," she said with more conviction than she felt.

Naruto nodded and began wrapping the boy up in the rags Sakura had torn off of him earlier. He stopped abruptly. Sakura heard the choking sound he made and looked up from putting her medical supplies back into their bag questioningly. Her eyes fell on the cream colored "shirt" and the outlined figure on it: a red _Uchiha_ fan. Her heart sped up, her breathing came in gasps. She suddenly wanted to bury her face in Naruto's shoulder, because somehow that was Sasuke's shirt. _He's been here. He-he has to know about this. Why? Why would he do something like this? _

"Go," she choked out, it was the only thing they could do.

The jinchuriki nodded and several clones appeared as the real Naruto vanished. All of the clones except one went with him.

"Come on, Sakura-chan," it said.

They made their way back to camp at a moderate pace. There was no reason for them to hurry, although Sakura wished they could. Doing so however would be seen as suspicious. Despite her impatience, they walked into camp as if nothing had happened. She forced a smile when they were greeted by a friend and managed to answer intelligently.

Finally she knocked on the pole of Kakashi's tent. There was no answer, so she pushed the flap aside. The real Naruto was already seated on the cot with his hands behind his head, a Sasuke-like smirk on his face. He would never know how much that hurt her.

The boy was curled up beside him on what was left of the makeshift bed. As she studied him she again realized just how much he resembled the Uchiha. She had to voice some of her worries. "Y-you don't think Sasuke hurt him, do you, Naruto?"

His blue eyes became thoughtful and Sakura's heart sank. She had really wanted to hear something like, "Of course Teme would never do that, believe it, Sakura-chan!" What he said was, "I don't think so. Sasuke has fallen pretty far, but he wouldn't hurt someone who he was related to. You know how he is about family."

"Unless the boy got in the way of his precious revenge," she whispered.

"Still, it's unlikely, Sakura-chan. You have to believe in Sasuke, we're all he's got." Naruto stated loyally. Sasuke did not deserve to have a friend like him.

Sakura tried to take comfort from the words, really she did. But the truth was she was too tired of making excuses for Sasuke, of waiting and begging for his return when all he did was multiply his crimes. If he did come back, she would try to forgive him, to move on; but she could not ignore his actions anymore. What he had tried to do to her and this boy had been the last straw.

She was not able to voice her frustrations to anyone else though. No one but Naruto would understand and he was to busy pretending Sasuke was still the victim. He was so blind. Sakura knew she should not judge him for being so; she had been also at one time. Now however, it was intolerable to her for others to be.

The pressing weight of her thoughts was brushed aside when their sensei entered his tent. Kakashi's one silver eyebrow went up. "And what," he asked in the all too familiar tone, "-are the two of you doing in my tent?"

"We have found something of importance, Sensei," Sakura replied, knowing the matter required tact. Kakashi looked at the boy on his bed pointedly. Sakura assumed the other eyebrow went up as well, though it was hidden beneath his forehead protector. "I-" she started.

"He's Sasuke's kid!" Naruto blurted out. Sakura could have killed him just then.

Kakashi looked back over to the pinkette. "I was unaware that Sasuke had any children," he said slowly.

"We are not actually certain that he is in fact Sasuke's son, but there is a great resemblance between them," she stated in her "hokage's apprentice" tone.

"I see," the jounin replied. "Well then-"

Naruto cut him off. "But he has the Uchiha symbol on his shirt! The teme wouldn't let just anyone wear that!"

Kakashi raised a hand to stop the blonde's protestations. "I know Naruto, but that is obviously Sasuke's own shirt. Now, start at the beginning. How did you find him?" Sakura told the story and waited patiently while her teacher stood musing. He then turned to her teammate. "And what about you, did you see anyone suspious hanging around?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, but Sasuke wouldn't-"

"Of course not." He waved his hand like the very idea of it was absurd. Yet Sakura saw beyond the façade to the doubt that was there.

"Who do you think he is, Kakashi-sensei?" She asked softly, half afraid of the answer.

"I'm not sure. I will have to look into it; although I would have expected to hear at least _some_ rumors concerning another Uchiha's existence if that were the case. You were right in keeping him a secret. He is obviously linked to this war somehow. However, until we find out how, he can not stay here."

"I will take him to a secret location and guard him." Three eyes were turned to the girl. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin a bit. This was not an offer, it was the truth.

Kakashi shook his head. "As your commanding officer I can not allow that, Sakura." His tone was curt. It hurt her he had used his ANBU voice with her. He rarely had when they were his students and now that they were grown he never did. Until now.

"Why not?" She asked trying to keep her voice from rising.

"Because you are our best medic and a good fighter; I can not spare you." Sakura suspected there might be more than he would be willing to disclose behind his reasoning. Deep down though she knew that despite his reasons he was right.

There was a pause. Naruto looked like he was going to volunteer, but a look from Sakura convinced him not too. The silence turned awkward until she could no longer stand it.

"What other choice do we have?" she demanded.

Kakashi rubbed his eye. "I will consider it in the morning. Right now I need sleep."

Sakura nodded. She had forgotten about all his late-night meetings with advisors. She rebuked herself for not being more considerate of him. It was hard to remember that Kakashi-sensei was not as invincible as the legends told about him. "You should sleep in my tent. I need to stay with the child and I'd rather not move him right now." Kakashi frowned. The kunochi rolled her eyes. "You need to _sleep_, not read that awful book of yours."

After a lot more convincing, persuading, and threatening, the boys finally left.

Sakura watched the chest of the boy move up and down slowly. Her previous thoughts came back to her. Kakashi could not come up with another practical solution; she was sure of that. She just hoped he would admit it. But even if she had to disobey Kakashi's orders she would insure this new Uchiha's safety. Even if she had to betray her village.

With that resolution, she fell asleep beside him.

**A/N: So…how was it? I am excited to see who you think the boy is now. If you have an idea, tell me. You might change my mind! :) I will tell you he is not a magical cupcake fairy. Just sayin', lol.**


	3. Chapter 3: Running in Place

**A/N: So I'm not dead, yet. But I have been busy. Do yourself a favor and never post more than one long story at a time that you have to update regularly, because someone always gets gypped, and the readers don't deserve that. You guys certainly don't. So I'm sorry. But I hope you enjoy this. Maybe I can get something out sooner this time. **

_She watched the way his hair shifted in the slight breeze. She had to stop him. If she didn't, she would die. Sasuke was her life. She had to make him understand that. "Please, Sasuke-kun!" She knew her voice was pathetic, but that was what she was without him. Pathetic. "I love you-!"_

Sakura awoke to screams. She tensed. The terror in the voices told her the camp was under attack; and she could easily guess why. As the shouts turned changed into the yells and orders of commanders, she sprang up and stuffed supplies into a canvas bag.

The time had come for her decision and Sakura had made it. She was going to betray her home, family, friends, and future: all for this boy.

She pulled an old shirt of Kakashi's over his head in an effort to hide the obvious symbol on the other. It wouldn't hide much, but hopefully it would be enough.

The truth was she had no idea where she was going to go. They could not be found by any of Madara's minions; and as a traitor she could not return to the Allied territories. She thought momentarily of Wave, but she could not ask such a thing of Tanzuna and his family. Plus they would recognize the boy as belonging to Sasuke in some way.

He needed a name, she realized, or else she was going to start calling him Sasuke. _Now is not the time for that, _she reminded herself sternly. She took out a kunai and slit a seam of the tent. Hopefully, no one would notice for a while.

Sakura slung the boy across her back and like the wind they were gone.

It was chaos on the battlefield. Commanders were yelling like maniacs while explosions created another round of shrieks. She hesitated. The camp contained several genin teams, and although they were supposed to be advanced, they were still rookies. She frowned. Someone needed to get control of them. Team Seven was more composed in their first fight with Zabuza than these kids were. But then it had only been Sasuke and Naruto who been strong. Not her.

She threaded her way out of the battle trying to 'blend in' to the scene. A stray kunai creased her cheek. Out of the corner of her eye she saw an explosive tag flash by. There was only a second to act before they would die.

She dove out of the way, pulling the boy from her back and covering him with her body. Fire drilled into her skin and caught her hair on fire. Sakura bit her tongue and moaned. She activated her healing charka, hopefully that would keep the burns minor. The boy shuttered under her and cried out. She transferred some of her jutsu to him and he quieted. Then it was over.

Sakura peeled herself off of the boy slowly. Her back ached, though it thankfully it was not too serious. But she was going to have to reconsider her mode of transporting the boy. She frowned. There was no real solution to this problem, she realized. Gritting her teeth, she tried to gently pull him back up. She hissed when his limp foot kicked her back.

It was unfortunate she had to resort to a solider pill so early, but it could not be helped. At least she did mange to go fifty miles before she had to take another.

It would be daylight again soon, she noticed.

Still, she had no idea where she was going. Perhaps she could hide away in that small Snow village she had been to on her first solo mission. Yes, that would be the best place to stowaway. Mostly elderly people lived there, and nothing important ever happened so important shinobi had no reason to go there, unless you were leveling forests. She would only have to change her course slightly to the east, she calculated. It shouldn't take over three days to get there. But she would have to be sure no one could find her tracks, so this part of the journey would be harder.

It was four hours before she stumbled into a deserted town. Her exhaustion had taken a toll on her travel time as well as depleting her chakra supply. She arranged with the sleepy night clerk at the "hotel" for a room. _I need to examine the boy again before I fall asleep,_ she reminded herself.

It was the maid that woke her up. Sakura blinked at the sunlight suddenly let into the room.

"Refugees from the war, huh?" The lady had a sweet voice, and the pinkette tried to focus on her form.

"Huh? Oh…um…yeah, we are," she replied. Even her voice was stiff.

"We? Who did you bring with you?" Sakura hesitated. How could she reply? There was not enough family resemblance between them to claim the boy as her brother. The maid moved from in front of the window to peer at the sleeping child. "Is he yours?"

Her heart clenched. "Yes, he's mine." It was true, she supposed. After betraying her home he was all she had, and their fates were now intertwined.

"What's his name?"

Sakura grinned down at the boy to buy time and said the first "common" name that came to her mind. "Kenji."

The maid smiled and Sakura could now tell the girl was younger than she had first thought. Perhaps twelve, but her manner of talking never showed it. Neither did the circles around her eyes. "Breakfast was an hour ago. When you didn't come down I knew something was wrong, so I brought it up for you," she seemed to talk faster than she could breathe.

"Thanks," Sakura tried to sound happy. She was sure she failed miserably.

The rest of the conversation Sakura halfway slept through. Eventually the kid left and she was able to fall completely asleep again.

She slept uneasily the last thirty minutes or so, and was again awakened, but this time by a shift in the mattress. Sakura forced an eye open. "What-" She sat up swiftly when she realized the boy was no longer beside her. This was beyond bad. This was a disaster. He had escaped because of her weakness and when he went back to his "family" he would become completely bent to his father's desires. She knew all to well that somewhere down that road there was a point of no return, and if "Kenji" was allowed to cross that line, there would be no saving him. She would get no second chance.

Thankfully, he was standing three feet away looking completely repulsed. "What did you do to me, Sakura?" he sneered. "How dare you even touch me!" A wicked little smirk appeared on his face. She scowled. He shouldn't be capable of that look, he was too young. "But I guess you couldn't help it, could yo-" "Kenji" stopped in horror. The thickness of sleep and exhaustion in his voice had begun to wear off. "I- !" he squeaked.

Sakura frowned at him. "What's the matter? And how do you know my name?" She began to unfold her legs over the side of the bed. She watched him warily. Uchiha's were like snakes; cunning, slippery, and if you gave them half a chance they would bite you.

She was standing when he spoke again. "G-get away from me!" He ran to the mirror, and touched his face. After a few minutes of touching the mirror and his cheek, he turned back to her. "What did you do to me!"

Sakura frowned. "I healed your wounds. That's all. Who are you?" She tried to harden her tone to make him intimidated. Her heart wasn't in it, and even if it had been, it was doubtful that it would have worked anyway. The kid was an Uchiha, after all. Still, she was perplexed by his behavior.

"Kenji" studied her intently. Sakura tried not to squirm. She was a shinobi of Konoha and the apprentice of the Sanin Tsunade, she shouldn't be intimidated by some little kid. But there was something about his eyes… Whatever it was unnerved her, and she could only "breathe easy" after he turned away.

"L-leave me alone," he again commanded, his voice still shaky.

Sakura frowned and was about to push the matter further when a knock sounded on the door. "Come in." She cast a worried glance at the boy. The maid might think that something was wrong and begin nosing around. That could lead to gossip and rumors, which could lead to enemies on their doorstep tomorrow morning, if the wind drifted right, so to speak.

It was the maid who opened the door, of course. But instead of becoming curious about Kenji, she breathlessly proclaimed, "There's someone here to see you." The way she said it communicated her fear of whoever was downstairs.

Fear sank into her heart, and crept down to her toes. All of this had been for nothing. They had been found.

**Review and keep the plot bunnies fed and hoppin'. **


	4. Chapter 4: The Visitor

**Warning: This chapter is crackish. I don't know what happened, I'm not even sure if I'm happy with the way it turned out. So read at your own risk. And to you brave folks who risk it, I REALLY need you help and feedback with this one. So PLEASE REVIEW.**

Sakura hated surprises. She also hated getting things she didn't want at a time when she really couldn't handle it. Obviously, this was one of those times.

She took a deep breath though, and miraculously the simple expansion of her chest seemed to break the icy chains that had formed around her heart and mind just a second ago. She had to act fast, she knew that. She also had to stall for time.

"Go down and tell them I'm getting dressed. I'll be done in just a minute," Sakura ordered the maid much like she would order around a nurse at the Konoha Hospital. "Give me five minutes, and send them up."

The girl nodded and was gone.

Two things bothered Sakura about this "visit": she felt no chakra signature from the person; and secondly the girl was obviously afraid, meaning that the person below was most definitely a shinobi. Those facts meant that this person had to be an enemy, as Naruto or Kakashi would not have masked their chakra or scared the girl, at least, they probably wouldn't have done both; and any others from Konoha wouldn't have found out about Kenji yet.

She picked up Kenji from where he had plopped himself down to sulk on the floor. "Mask your chakra." She ordered. The kid glared at her. "Don't give me that! We don't have time. I know your father must have taught you to do that already, so unless you want to be killed, I suggest you do so."

Kenji looked at her like she had a hundred heads. He sputtered a moment before spitting out, "I have no chakra."

"Oh," she blinked, like an idiot. "Okay then, hide in the closet. I'll confuse them if I can, battle them if I can't. If it comes to a fight, get out of here the best you can. I'll hold them off. Go to these coordinates," Sakura commanded stuffing a shred of paper into his left hand with the coordinates she had decided on just the second before. She hoped they worked. "Find a place to hide; I'll be there if I can. If- if something happens and I can't make it, Naruto will come for you soon, okay?"

The kid made a face, but stepped into the closet. Realizing he was weaponless and couldn't defend himself, Sakura slipped him a kunai. Probably not a smart move, but necessary nevertheless. He shut the door and she slipped on a fancy looking kimono she had found; hiding another kunai up her sleeve. She hoped the guise was enough to give credit to the lies she was about to tell. If anyone she knew got wind of them, she was done for – as a shinobi as well as a citizen of Konoha.

In the tense moment of waiting just before her opponent showed themselves, she wondered why she was doing this. Sakura was risking her career, her credibility, and probably her life for this boy. Why? Sure, he was a cute little kid, but Sasuke had already influenced him. Kenji would probably turn on her and kill her before this was over. So saying she was doing it for the kid wasn't a valid reason. Hadn't she already been through this before, over and over again? She was doing this because she still loved the memory she carried with her of Sasuke; and no matter how dumb a reason that may be, she couldn't stop herself. She didn't love the person he had become anymore, but if there was a chance that she could save this small look-alike, to make him into what Sasuke could have been, she was going to take it- even if she had to pay with everything she posed.

Coming back to reality, Sakura suddenly realized that she had been absently twisting her hair up into a messy bun and even shot one senbon through the mess already. She reached up to yank it out, and then thought better of it. The whole point of this was to be someone else, after all. She shoved the other senbon in just as the doorknob turned.

Sakura caught her breath.

The door opened fully, and Sasuke walked in. All of her rehearsed lines fled and she was left speechless. Confound it all, that little half-smirk, half-smile that sent her reeling was on his face. And without even realizing it, she was breathing out his name. Her logical, shinobi training tried to shake her out of this "moment" that they were sharing, against her will, _again_. He was all she could think of. He was all she could see. The pain he kept causing her was all she could feel. He was her everything. "Sasuke," she whispered a second time.

He reacted much as if he'd been slapped. She felt his chakra rising against his will, much like a storm-ravished sea. She blinked in surprise and confusion. His chakra signature was slightly different than she remembered. _It must be something Madara's done._ "Don't do that," he snapped.

She glared at him. "Oh, so now I'm not good enough to say your name, Uchiha, is that it?" Sakura rolled her eyes and huffed as she tried to calm herself down. All of these nerves and emotions weren't good if she was going to be able to get rid of him. "What do you want?" Despite her efforts, she had still snapped back at him.

Sasuke shook his head. "You don't und-"

In that moment, something launched itself at his face. "Imposter!" Kenji screamed as he punched Sasuke in the face. "Liar!"

"Get off of me, brat!" Sasuke protested, pulling the boy off of him by the scruff of his shirt. The moment they meant each other's eyes they both froze. Sakura watched the interaction in confusion. "You," Sasuke hissed.

" '_You' _ is that all you can say to your son?" Sakura spat at him. She wasn't sure why she said that, but now it was too late to take it back. The fury in both their eyes made her gulp. Two Uchihas wishing your demise meant that your death would come _sooner_ rather than _later_.

"This, this- _impudent brat_ is most definitely _not_ my son," Sasuke hissed.

"And if I was, which I'm not, how would you know, you imposter!" Kenji yelled.

Sakura frowned. "So you're Itachi's son, then?"

"No!" Kenji yelled, still trying to stick his foot in Sasuke's stomach. "I'm nobody's son!"

"I guess nobody has explained this to you yet, brat, but that's impossible," Sasuke scoffed. "You see-"

"Sasuke!" Sakura screeched. This all had to be a bad dream, because nothing like this would _ever_ happen in reality. _Great, now I'm even having hallucinations! _

Kenji was blushing worse than Naruto did when Kakashi "accidentally" let him glimpse _The Book_. "I know that you Dobe," he hissed.

"Then why don't you enlighten us? Who are you?" Sakura sighed before things could get any worse. Kenji just shook his head. "Ask him who _he_ is."

"I have nothing to hide," Sasuke shrugged. Sakura frowned at his words. Warning bells went off in her head; Sasuke wouldn't act like this. He would say things like that in such a way. Normally, he would be moping around, "hning" and stalling right now. "My name is Uchiha Satoshi. I woke up this morning in the middle of a battle I can't remember. So I tracked you here, hoping to find answers."

_He must be insane,_ Sakura thought. _That's the only explanation. _"Why us?" Kenji asked suspiciously.

"My reasons are my own." He looked at Sakura. "How old are you?"

"That's none of your business." She whipped out the kunai she'd hidden and held it to his throat. An insane Sasuke was not something she wanted to deal with right now; or ever, actually, but especially right now. "Now how is it that you claim you are an Uchiha when there are only two remaining: Uchiha Sasuke and a man who claims to be Uchiha Madara. You are neither of them. Explain yourself."

Satoshi shrugged. "I can't. What year is this?"

Kenji growled, "What year do you _think_ it is?"

Satoshi visibly snapped. Sakura felt his chakra rise like a wave as he pointed a long finger at her, almost like a spirit promising death. "I think she's thirty-four, I think she's my mother, I think you're my little brother, and I think I'm sick and tired of being mixed up with our _illustrious_ father. _That's_ what I think."


End file.
